had somehow captured Liam Sterling. He wasn't just any man; he was a Sterling,

me had no place in their world. But Liam fought for me. He faced down his family, took

m wasn't the defiant second son anymore. He was the sole heir. The family forced him ba

fore a wall of cameras and announced, "My engagement to Ava Green stands."

w the

to me. I knew he crept into Scarlett' s bed at night while I

nt, a small, secret hope in a world of despair. But his mo

voice as cold as the steel instruments on the tray.

ter, a medical file was anonymously slipped under my door. That' s when I learned the full extent of their cru

ould never bear another child, never have a

by a rage so cold and sharp it felt like a piece of i

love he destroyed. I would let him live with that lie, let it eat him alive. I wo

I let him see my tears, but he never saw the fire behind them. He thou

tt one night, his voice a l

said. "We just have to be car

ss breaking. "Careful? Or do

s voice, so low I could barely hea

, and he would destroy anyone who stood in his way. And I, Ava Green, was in his way. But

ould become his greatest love and his deepest regret. He would mourn a